Tray.



UNITED STATES Patented December 20, 190% PATENT ()FFICE.

TRAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 77 7,921, dated December 20, 1904.

Application filed August 13,1904. Serial No. 220,67

- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAM RUBIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trays, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to trays for use in trunks, packing-boxes, and the like; and it has for its object to provide atray adapted to hold trimmed and other hats in such manner that a large number of hats may be expeditiously placed in and removed from a trunk or box without liability of the hats being injured in any way, either incident to the packing or unpacking of the trunk or box or when the same is roughly handled by baggagemen.

The novel tray is designed more particularly for use in the trunks of traveling salesmen carrying lines of trimmed. hats with a view of enabling said salesmen to quickly and easily exhibit their samples; but it. may obviously be used to advantage in packing hats in closets, bureau-drawers, and other receptacles.

With the foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a tray embodying my invention, the same being shown with a portion of its body or platform broken away. .Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the tray, with a hat shown by dotted lines in proper position thereon. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the hat-engaging devices of the tray removed. Fig. A} is a detail perspective view illustrating a portion of one of the bars for holding the hat-holder of the tray down on the platform or body thereof, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of a portion of the other bar for such purpose.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings, referring to which I A is the body or platform of the tray constituting the present and preferred embodiment of my invention, the said body or plat B are respectivelyprovided with an aperture a and a stud 6, carried by a spring-strip c, as best shown in Fig. 2.

C C are vertically-adjustable rods disposed in the posts B and having apertures (Z at intervals in their length to receive the studs 7), and C G are vertically-adjustable rods disposed in the posts B and having apertures (Z to receive the studs 6. The rods 0 and C are provided at their upper ends with seats 0, designed to receive and be connected to the ends of cross-bars D, preferably of wood, and the rods C are also provided at their upper ends with upwardly and inwardly extending lips f. These lips fare designed when the body or platform of another tray is placed on the bars D of that shown to hold such other tray against casual endwise movement.

In virtue of the construction thus far described it will be observed that the bars D may be adjusted vertically and adjustably fixed at various points above the body or platform A to suit the height of hats to be accommodated between the body or platform of the tray shown and the body or platform of another tray to be superposed on that shown.

E is a bar arranged longitudinally on the upper side of the body or platform A, adjacent to one longitudinal edge thereof, and having transverse corrugations g at intervals of its length.

F is a bar arranged longitudinally on the upper side of the body or platform A, adjacent to the other longitudinal edge thereof, and G is a hat-holder which the bars E and F are designed to detachably connect to and hold down on the body or platform A. The bar E is tacked or otherwise fixed to the platform or body A, while the bar F, which is pro vided with transverse corrugations 72 is designed to be swung vertically to and from the upper side of the body or platform. Said bar F has lateral arms 71 hinged at 7' to the upper side of the platform or body A, and it is held down on the platform or body when desired through the medium of resilient finger-pieces Z1, which are pivoted atZ to the platform or body and are arranged to be swung horizontally on and off the bar F. When the said finger-pieces Z; are on the bar F, as shown in Fig. 1, the bar .will obviously be held down on the platform or body A, while when the finger-pieces are swung off of the bar the baris free to be swung upwardly from the body or platform for a purpose presently set forth. It will be noticed that two bars E are shown in Fig. 1, the bar E at the top of the view being designed for use in connection with an additional hatholder. (Not illustrated.)

The hat-holder G, as shown in Figs. 1. 2, and 8, is preferably made up of a base-frame m, formed by two rings a and Q), a frame 9, connected to and extending upwardly from the inner ring 7), bars 7', formed integral with the frame q, fixed to the inner and outer rings 1) and a of the base-frame m and designed to be placed at their ends in the corrugations of the bars E and F, parallel rock-shafts a", journaled in suitable bearings on the base-frame m and carrying cranks s t, angular arms a, fixed to the rock-shafts and terminating at their outer ends in points, a bar 7), fixed to the upper portion of the frame (1, coiled springs 20, connecting the cranks s of the rock-shafts and the inner ring 1) of the baseframe 127., a lug 0, carried by the arm or crank tof one rock-shaft r, and a notched bar 3 pivotall y connected to the crank 25 of the other rock-shaft a" and arranged to be placed in engagement with the said lug .71, as best shown in Fig. 2, with a view of adjustably fixing the arms it against outward movement.

In virtue of the construction of my novel hat-holder it will be observed that when the pointed arms a are swung inwardly against the action of the springs w by pressure applied to the cranks t a hat may be quickly and easily placed with its crown resting over the frame (1 and the arms a, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2; also, that when pressure is removed from the cranks t the shafts a" will be rocked in the directions indicated by arrows by the springs 70, and hence the arms a will engage and securely hold the hat. When the size of the hat-crown renders it necessary, the outward movement of the arms a may be limited by placing the notched bar 3/ in engagement with the lug m, this with a view of preventing the said arms a from injuring the hat. Outward movement of the arms a is also limited by the frame 9, as shown in Fig. 2, while inward movement of said arms is limited by the bar 4), and hence the arms are prevented from catching into each other. To remove the hat from the holder, it is simply necessary to press the cranks t toward each other, so as to disengage the arms a from the hat-crown, and then lift the hat off of the holder and tray.

The hat-holder Gr is placed on the body or platform A, While the bar F is in a raised position, the bars 0' being placed with their adjacent ends in corrugations of the bar E, while their opposite ends are arranged to enter corrugations in the bar F. Said bar F is then swung downwardly and secured against the upper side of the body or platform A through the medium of the finger-pieces 7: when, as will be readily observed, the hat-holder and thehat will be securely connected to the body or platform and will not be liable to casually move under ordinary conditions.

It will be readily appreciated from the foregoing that a hat may be quickly and easily attached to my novel tray without liability of the hat being injured; also, that when a plurality of my novel trays are superposed or arranged side by side there is no liability of the hats which they carry being pressed out of shape, Worn, or injured. It will further be appreciated that trays constructed in accordance with my invention and carrying hats may be quickly and easily placed in and removed from a trunk or the like, and from this it follows that a salesman may quickly and easily unpack his trunk and display the hats to the best advantage and may as quickly and easily repack the trunk subsequent to the exhibition of theline of hats, and this without handling the hats or deteriorating the same in any manner whatsoever. I

Vhile I have shown but one hat-holder G in connection with the platform or body A, it is obvious that a number of hatholders may be used in combination with said bod y or platform A and the bars E and F.- It will further be noted that two or more pairs of bars E and Fmay be used on the body or platform A, in which event the hat-holders will be dis posed in parallel series.

l/Vhen a number of trays constructed in accordance with my invention are each equipped with a plurality of hat-holders Gr, it will be apparent that the trays will not only protect trimmed hats against injury, but will also contribute materially to the capacity of a trunk for the purpose of carrying trimmed hats in such manner as to preclude deterioration of or injury to the same.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear, and exact understanding of the said embodiment. I do notdesire, however, to be understood as confining myself to such specific construction and relative arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall within the scope as claimed; 7

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a tray, the combination of a body or platform, a bar fixed on the body or platform and having a socket, a bar connected to the body or platform and movable toward and from the upper side thereof and also having a socket, and an article-holder disposed on the body or platform and having bars removabl y placed in the sockets of the bars on said body or platform.

2. In a tray, the combination of a body-or platform, a bar fixed on the body or platform and having a socket, a bar connected to the body or platform and movable toward and from the upper side thereof and also having a socket, adjustable means for normally holding the latter bar against the upper side of the body or platform, and an article-holder disposed on the body or platform and having bars removably placed in the sockets of the bars on said body or platform.

3. In a tray, the combination of a body or platform, a bar fixed on the body or platform and having a socket, a bar having arms hinged to the body or platform, whereby it .is adapted to swing toward and from the same, and also having a socket, a resilient finger-piece pivoted to the body or platform and arranged to be swung on and off the latter bar, and an article-holder disposed on the body or platform and having bars removably placed in the sockets of the bars on said body or platform.

4:. In a tray, the combination of a body or platform, a bar fixed on said body or platform and having transverse corrugations forming sockets, a bar having transverse corrugations forming sockets and also having arms hinged to the body or platform, whereby it is adapted to swing toward and from the same, a resilient finger-pieoepivoted to the body or paltform and arranged to be swung on and off the latter bar, and an article-holder disposed on the body or platform and having bars removably placed in corrugations or sockets of the bars on said body or platform.

5. In a tray, the combination of a body or of my invention platform, a bar fixed on the body or platform and having a socket, a bar connected to the body orplatform and movable toward and from the upper side thereof, and also having a socket, and a hat-holder disposed. on the body or platform and comprising a main frame having bars removably placed in the sockets of the bars, and spring-actuated arms pivoted to the frame and having outwardly-directed points adapted to engage a hat-crown.

6. In a tray, the combination of a body or platform, a bar fixed on the body or platform and having transverse corrugations forming sockets, a bar having transverse corrugations forming sockets and also having lateral arms hinged to the body or platform, a finger-piece pivoted to the body or platform and arranged to be swung on and off of the latter bar, and a hat-holder disposed on the body or platform and comprising a base-frame, a frame extending upwardly from the base-frame, bars connected to the frame and arranged to be placed in corrugations of the bars on the body or platform, and spring-actuated arms pivoted to the frame and having outwardly disposed points adapted to engage a hat-crown.

7. A hat-holder comprising a frame, rockshafts journaled in the frame and having cranks .9 2/, springs interposed between and connecting the frame and the cranks s, and arms fixed on the shafts and having outwardlydirected points adapted to engage ahatcro\vn. 8. A hat-holder comprising a base-frame, a central frame rising from the base-frame,rockshafts journaled in the base-frame and having cranks s t, springs connecting the base-frame and the cranks 8, arms fixed on the rock-shafts and having outwardly-directed points, a lug on one of the cranks t, and a notched bar pivoted to the other crank t and adapted to engage said lug. 9. A tray comprising a body or platform, an article-holder secured on the body or platform, bars disposed above the platform, and extensible posts interposed between the body or platform and the said bars; some of the said posts having lips at their upper ends.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAM RUBIN. WVitnesses:

CHAs. RODRIGUEZ, H. H. RAYNER. 

